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Mary
Kies - Patenting Pioneer
On
May 15 1809, Mary Dixon Kies received the first U. S. patent issued
to a woman. Kies, a Connecticut native, invented a process for weaving
straw with silk or thread. First Lady, Dolley Madison praised her for boosting
the nations hat industry. Unfortunately, the patent file was destroyed
in the great Patent Office fire in 1836. Until about 1840, only 20 other
patents were issued to women. The inventions related to apparel, tools,
cook stoves, and fire places.

The Patent Act of 1790 opened the
door for anyone, male or female, to protect his or her invention with a
patent. However, because in many states women could not legally own property
independent of their husbands, many women inventors didn't bother to patent
their new inventions. Mary Kies broke that pattern on May 5, 1809.

Mary Kies was not the first American
woman to improve hat making. In 1798, New Englander Betsy Metcalf invented
a method of braiding straw. Her method became very popular, and she employed
many women to make her hats, but she didn't patent her process. When asked
why, Metcalf said she didn't want her name being sent to Congress. Kies
had a different perspective, and she couldn't have picked a better time
to secure her new product, because the U.S. government had stopped importing
European goods. (Napolean was at war with many nations of Europe at the
time, and one way he tried to win the war was to block trade and hurt his
enemies economically. The U.S. did not want to be drawn into this conflict.)
President Madison was looking for American industries to replace the lost
European goods. First lady Dolley Madison said hats off to Mary Kies for
providing just such an opportunity.